


When Potions Collide

by RiverWoman



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drabble, Fluffy around the edges, Gen, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-24
Updated: 2013-11-24
Packaged: 2018-01-02 12:41:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1056877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiverWoman/pseuds/RiverWoman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Friendships are always possible, even in the Potions Room.</p><p> </p><p>******************************************************</p>
            </blockquote>





	When Potions Collide

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to those who have left a comment or Kudos! - I appreciate it very much.
> 
> ****************************************************  
> I am raising my wand today and lighting the path for his journey towards the Great Unknown. An inspiration for so many, not just in fandom - his passing has left a void; but I will continue to write in the spirit of Severus Snape.  
> Adieu, Alan Rickman - I loved everything you did; but mostly, I loved your voice. And your smile. And your eyes. And your skill as an actor. 
> 
> A bereft RiverWoman: January 14th 2016.
> 
> *****************************************************

 

 

When Potions Collide

‘Oh bloody Merlin’s beard, nooooo,’ Hermione could only watch in horror as another batch of _Wound Healing Potion_ erupted from the cauldron. She groaned at the mess the spreading ooze was making. Why was this potion proving so difficult to brew? She put the flame under the cauldron out. Three times now she had tried and she was rapidly using up the ingredients in the potions room; the last thing she wanted was to have to ask Professor Snape for more supplies. He knew she was having problems with this potion and right now, she didn’t want to face his sneer or any barbed comment.

She grabbed several cloths and proceeded to mop up the useless potion, muttering to herself as she did so.

‘Not again,’ the familiar voice said as it came into the room. ‘What’s this, third time this week?’ Draco grinned at her, ‘and twice last week. Oh yes, Professor Snape is going to have a field day.’

 _‘Evanesco!’_ she commanded and the now sopping cloths vanished. She gave him a withering look, ‘not amusing, Malfoy, I’ve got to get this right what with OWLS next month; I want to have at least four potions memorised and be able to brew them properly.’ She took her cauldron to the sink and washed it out. There was a burnt crust on the bottom; Dragonfly thoraxes, why hadn’t they dissolved? ‘My Dragonfly thoraxes didn’t combine,’ she said.

He came over to the sink and examined the bottom of the cauldron. ‘Hmm, flame too high perhaps?’

‘I’ve tried high flame, medium and low flame. It was a medium flame just now. Last time the thoraxes melted but the colour was wrong. Frogs and Toads!’ She blew her hair out of the way as she scrubbed the cauldron. ‘What are you working on?’

‘ _Wiggenweld_ ,’ he replied.

‘That’s very advanced,’ she came back with her now clean cauldron and stood by him. ‘Bloody hell! Have you emptied Professor Snape’s store room?’

‘Almost,’ he smiled, ‘few things left if you need more for your _Wound Healing_.’ She placed her cauldron back on the tripod. ‘So how are Spotter and the Weasel today?’ Draco sneered.

She sighed. ‘Just this once, just for today, can we not snipe at each other and our friends? I’m really not in the mood.’

He looked at her in surprise. ‘All right; but what are we going to talk about for the next couple of hours?’

‘How about normal things?’

‘Granger, there is nothing normal about you,’ he laughed as he picked up the first ingredients to begin brewing his potion.

‘Not true. I’m a girl … that’s normal,’ she turned to him and smiled.

‘Fair point,’ he said, smiling back.

They set to brewing their potions in earnest. They concentrated on the recipes and every so often, one would ask the other to pass an ingredient or to confirm that the colour or odour was correct. Hermione did this mostly, as Draco was much more competent. A couple of times their hands met as they both reached for the same stirring rod or flask. They would apologise, but both blushed.

‘Right, mine has to simmer for thirty minutes,’ she said and sat on a stool. She watched as Draco added a drop of Dragon’s Blood to his cauldron, stirred three times clockwise and then turned the flame down.

‘Fifteen minutes for the first simmer,’ he said.

They sat on their stools looking everywhere but at each other.

‘What’s your favourite food?’ Draco broke the silence.

‘Oh … I think it would have to be pizza with extra olives and cheese,’ she answered.

‘Mine’s roast chicken, with roast potatoes and veg; Mother’s a good cook.’

‘So is mine. Do you like the food here?’

‘Yes, there’s plenty of it.’

They were silent for a while; each looking intently at their potions.

‘Who’s your favourite band?’ she asked.

‘That would be _Hel’s Kitchen._ ’

‘I’ve heard of them! Are they as good as people say?’

‘I saw them in a concert last year … we were in France. They were great.’ He looked at her potion. ‘I would turn your heat down and give it a stir,’ he suggested.

She was about to tell him to mind his own potion when she thought that he was the best in the year, so she nodded and did as he suggested. She gave the potion five stirs, clockwise and anti-clockwise; the colour deepened.

‘Oh that’s much better,’ she said, ‘how …?’

He smiled at her. ‘The recipes are more like guidelines; you are expected to experiment and not follow them to the letter. You can them wrong, in fact, it’s better if you find out how to get it wrong before you get it right.’

She frowned. ‘I’m not sure any of that made sense … but … Professor Snape expects us mess up?’

‘Mostly … yes. It’s how you get to be good at potions; you need to be prepared to experiment and fail. Then you try again … and get it right.’

‘But you never get it wrong,’ she said in surprise.

He blushed, which she thought rather sweet. ‘You are usually too engrossed in your own potion to notice when I get it wrong. Give it another stir,’ he nodded to her cauldron.

She did and the colour changed again. She got back onto her stool, ‘right, your favourite dessert,’ she said.

‘Oh that's too hard!’ he laughed. ‘There are so many and time is short.’

‘Mines a simple apple and blackberry crumble with custard.’

‘I could go for that. But what about an ice cream sundae?’

‘With chocolate sauce,’ she licked her lips, ‘oh yes!’ They laughed together.

‘I need to add my next ingredient. Can you pass me your Doxie eggs?’ he asked. She gave him the jar of eggs and watched as he measured exactly eight eggs into his potion. Then two more drops of Dragon’s blood and a single stir. His potion thickened and changed colour … a bright orange.

‘Nice colour Malfoy,’ she said with a frown, ‘is it supposed to bubble like that?’ Draco stepped back, pulling Hermione with him just as his potion exploded with a low _‘boom’_. Thick viscous gloop was blown everywhere, including over them.

‘That most definitely was not meant to happen,’ he looked at her and started to laugh; she pointed to him and also laughed.

‘Malfoy and Granger,’ the soft drawl of Professor Snape made them turn towards the door. ‘I do hope you are going to clean this mess up?’ he said as he moved to the workbench. ‘ _Wiggenweld?_ ’ he turned to Draco, ‘…and … _Wound Healing potion_?’ he looked into Hermione’s cauldron, ‘which is about to … erupt.’ He moved his hand and put the flame out; but not before a slow flow of _Wound Healing Potion_ crept over the side of the cauldron and onto the workbench, heading straight for the pool of _Wiggenweld_. ‘Do either of you know what the consequences are of _Wiggenweld_ and _Wound Healing potion_ … combining?’ He took a step back and looked piercingly at them. ‘No? … then observe.’

Professor Snape folded his arms and the three of them watched as the two potions met and mixed. All three took another step back; Hermione grabbed Draco’s arm. The sudden flash of sparks and colour was very entertaining, and then it fizzled out.  The two were about to go to the workbench when a grip of iron upon their shoulders, pulled them back.

‘Wait,’ Professor Snape ordered. They waited and watched and just as they were convinced their potions master was being ultra-cautious … the mixture exploded in a display of stars, sparks and golden dust.

‘Wow,’ two voices said in unison.

‘So now you know, you have been … warned,’ Professor Snape said, ‘I suggest clearing this room up and starting again. Failure in the practical is not an option for … you two.’ With that, he turned to leave the room, his black gown billowing out behind him, he stopped at the door, ‘… and five points from Gryffindor … and Slytherin … for making a mess in _my_ potions classroom.’

They stood staring at each other. ‘Do you have any idea what he may have meant by _“you have been warned”_?’ Hermione asked.

‘Not a clue,’ Draco replied, ‘c’mon, let’s get this cleared away and try again.’

She nodded and fetched more cloths and a bowl of warm water as Draco moved the remaining ingredients out of the way. ‘Alright, your favourite colour … and don’t say green for Slytherin … or black …’ she teased.

They continued to clear the mess up and as they talked, without realising it, they found they enjoyed each other’s company.

 

*******************

 

Back in his office, Professor Snape sat at his desk and raised his quill; as he began to write, a smile played on his lips.

He had stood outside the potions room long enough to hear their conversation. It really was quite refreshing to have the two of them talking normally to each other instead of the continuous verbal sniping they usually engaged in. He also thought Draco’s ruse of using Doxie eggs in the _Wiggenweld_ , ingenious. The young man was well aware of the outcome if he added the Doxie eggs to his potion. And it certainly did have the desired outcome; Miss Granger was fairly hanging onto Draco for grim death.

Of course, what neither of his pupils knew … was that nothing at all would have happened when the two potions combined; they were both completely … stable.  So it didn’t harm that he had provided the pyrotechnics as the two potions mixed.

Sometimes … the spark of friendship needed a little push.

 

************

**Author's Note:**

> I have them cleaning up the potions room in the old fashioned way because I believe that with so many volatile ingredients in the room and the lack of skill that many pupils would have, hot water and cleaning cloths would be the safest option. I doubt Professor Snape would want exploding cauldrons, jars, boxes, shelves and Flobberworms everywhere. Think of all that mucus. *Eeww*


End file.
